So, Merc's attending Boskone to host a sword event, and so I looked into it a bit. I once showed my art there, but art just doesn't sell well these days, so I never looked into it again. Boskone was always just "that other sci-fi/fantasy con". The one after Arisia. Nobody I knew really talked about it. I never tried to get another weekend off work so soon (it's kinda greedy).
The list of cool people attending, though... it makes Boskone really look like more of a professional networking con, and Arisia just a fan con. Not only is there an artist guest of honor, but a ton of other pros! Including, say, Dave Seeley who was just the AGoH for Arisia. Patrick and Theresa Nielsen Hayden seem to be there every year. So I kinda want to go. But between already tight hours at work, one co-worker out of the country, another away for the weekend such that we're getting one of Boston's staff over to cover for him, and both my salaried senior staff working 6 day weeks, I was not going to ask for the time off.
I'm missing a bunch of "watch this artist do art" panels taking place all Saturday. I looked at last year's panel schedule, and it doesn't look like this is even normal. Poo! What a thing to miss. But Sunday Irene Gallo is doing a panel on what she does as an Art Director, and how she gets artists. And also a panel on the Illustration Master Class I eventually want to attend. And there's a panel with a slew of artists Friday night on the evolution of a drawing. So I'm going to go just to attend those.
I mentioned this to my manager and he had to go fuddle up the situation by offering to swap schedules Sunday/Saturday (such that he works Sat and I work Sun), but after a quick thought I decided no.
The panels I've chosen are probably more important to me right now, as cool as it would be to watch the painters paint. (which reminds me, there hasn't been a dueling easels at Arisia recently.. I should suggest it to someone)
'Sides, Saturday is more expensive, would mean missing the panels Sunday, and would mean spending the day at the con between panels, which, to be honest, I don't want to do. I don't feel like I have the energy to spend a day at a con, right now. I'm conned out. And there will be times to watch artists paint in the future (or even better once I get to that master class in Amherst). Things like this will happen again, either at this con, or others. And I should be spending my time doing my own painting, anyways.
Clearly next year I'll have to be quicker about looking into attending.

I'm going dancing Friday. I need it.